1. Field of the Invention
The subject matter of this invention is a golf club, and relates more particularly to a golf club having a release-jointed shaft for preferential release upon impact with the ground.
2. Background Information
The shaft of a golf club is essentially rigid. Although it has some inherent resilience, and may even have some resilience added by design for greater ball impact, it is still essentially rigid and not flexible. In a good shot, the club head makes solid contact with the ball and only incidental contact with the ground, and the swing and follow through are complete. Sometimes there is more contact with the ground and a divot is taken, but the swing and follow through are completed nevertheless. A poor swing may make little or no contact with the ball, and such abrupt contact with the ground that the golfer experiences pain, particularly back, shoulder, or elbow pain. These are real injuries. The accomplished golfer is less likely to suffer an injury of this sort, and the frequent golfer may have such golf-related muscle tone as to be relatively immune to it. For the occasional or recreational golfer, however, the likelihood of such injury is more significant and it is desirable to reduce or eliminate it. Such is the object of this invention.